Layered models of research methodologies

Abstract

The status of research methodology employed by studies on the application of AI techniques to solving problems in engineering design, analysis, and manufacturing is poor. There may be many reasons for this status, including: unfortunate heritage from AI, poor educational system, and researchers’ sloppiness. Understanding this status is a prerequisite for improvement. The study of research methodology can promote such understanding, but, most importantly, it can assist in improving the situation. Concepts from the philosophy of science are introduced, and models of world views of science are built on them. These world views are combined with research heuristics or research perspectives and criteria for evaluating research to create a layered model of research methodology. This layered model can serve to organize and facilitate a better understanding of future studies of research methodologies. Many of the issues involved in the study of AI and AIEDAM research methodology using this layered model are discussed.

Designing science

“…If we wish to create a body of knowledge about how single designers solve simple design problems, we can create the research methodology to support this. If we want to develop a science to help humanity solve its pressing problems, we need a very different science and research methodology than for studying a single designer (Reich 1994). If we try to convince each other that one interpretation of science is better than another, we fall in the trap that I already discussed in another editorial (Reich 2010a): for if there is no selection method better than another, we should not expect that there is one interpretation of design science that is better than others.…”

Information Systems in General Practice: A Framework to Implement the Management and Prevention of Chronic Diseases

“…The chosen theoretical framework in this thesis is socio-technical theory. This theory focuses on developing an optimal organisational design by enabling the social subsystem, technological subsystem and the environment to work well together (Pasmore, 1988) which matches the researcher's 'world view', human values, theories, and data gathering techniques (Flood, 1990;Franz, 1994;Reich, 1994). More importantly, socio-technical researchers seem to be the most adept at trying to test and develop theory (Mumford, 2006).…”

“…Williamson (2002, pp 25-26) In other words, ontologies consist of the assumptions, beliefs and collection of human values that together form the candidate's view of what existence and reality are; this is the researcher's 'world view' (Reich, 1994). Epistemology defines how the researcher's ontological perspective on existence/reality relates to theory for each analysis and theoretical proposal (Love, 2001b) At a very basic level, the positivist approach seeks to model research on what has been termed the 'scientific method'.…”

“…Research projects and their theoretical conclusions are founded on researchers' 'world views' (ontology) , human values, the meaning ascribed to knowledge and its creation (epistemology), theories, and data gathering methods (Darlaston-Jones, 2007;Flood, 1990;Franz, 1994;K. Popper, 1976;Reich, 1994). A theoretical framework consists of the abstract and theoretical factors that shape the many decisions that a researcher makes and which determines their choice of analysis, background material, theories and research techniques (Lindsay, 1995;Sharrock & Anderson, 1986;Shipman, 1981).…”

Harnessing agile concepts for the development of Intelligent Systems

“…• Heavily empirical nature of AI has attempted to use evaluative methods based upon heuristics 1,32) , biological behaviours 7) , philosophy of science 9,24) or traditional symbolic logic 3,29) .…”